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Realizing whatup to me, I force my body onto my back so that I can see the rest of the rooht me here, wherever here is

He tiedin a chair on the other side of the bed, it startles me and I yelp and fall off the bed and onto the floor,to brace for the impact I hit the floor hard and pain shoots up frohto twist the fabric loose from my wrists as I squirhost co so bad I hope he doesn’t notice I don’t want him to know the true level of my fear

He leans over and picks me up from the floor and lays me back on the bed I try to kick and hit hi it ain Without answering, he goes back around to the other side where he was sitting and puts his hand in a bowl of water on the night stand He wrings the water fros it toward my face, but I try to pull away fro ever seeht now so I just lay here very still, staring directly into his eyes even though he’s not looking back into er in my face, but he doesn’t care to look

"You punched ain I can

"Yes" He dabs the cold wet cloth over my left eye and around the bone

"So you’re a murderer and a woman beater"

His dark eyes finally look directly intoas if oes back to dabbing un pointed at uu the wet rag away "I did not hit you that hard Just a little swollen"

I look at hih to knock ht?"

He stands up fro overover the back of the chair He reaches inside one of the pockets and pulls out a bottle of pills

"You woke up shortly after I knocked you out," he says as he twists the cap off the bottle "I had to drug you"

I blink back the stun

He shuffles a little white pill into the pal at hied me? What is that?"

I want to slap hi pill," he says, putting the pill to my lips "Harmless I take it myself You, on the other hand, only need half of one, I know that now"

I spit the pill onto the yellowed sheet beneath h"

"Suit yourself" He slides the bottle back inside his coat and ?"

He stops at theinstead and pulls the curtain closed the rest of the way but reh a crack in the thick fabric With his back to me, I try quietly to work my wrists free

"Nowhere at the ling with my bonds in an instant so that he doesn’t notice

"Okay…well then what are we doing here and why a on the et you"

I just sedinstantly fro s free, but to no avail He tied s back at the co you…"

"It is out ofback out the"It is why I offered the pill I thought you’d prefer to be unconscious when they arrive"

I feel like I’ too fast,and I feel like I can’t breathe I force s over the side of the bed and try to stand

"Sit down," he says turning to look at ain

Tears barrel from my eyes and I raise my bound hands out toward hi and jerking with fast, uneven breaths "Don’t let them take me back there!"

"I will ask you oneto face me fully "Do you want to be awake for what is about to happen?"

"I don’t want it to happen!" I screa the fabric loose fronoresblack flat suitcase of sorts sitting on the floor propped against the far wall Carrying it by the handle he places it on the end of the bed nearlint of reflective sunlight beaainst the back of the curtain and the sound of squeaky brakes outside twists e of the bed, my teeth still clenched around the fabric, my eyes wide and fearful I look to and from the door and the A un And then so fast, yet as casual as an earlywalk, he closes the suitcase and slides it underneath the bed and out of sight

He coain butme to fall off the bed

"No! Leave rabs un pointed at the floor in his other hand and then he walks me aardly across the small room and toward a tiny restroom

There is a knock at the door but the As usting tub I thinkto hit the side but he holds me by the fabric on my wrists and lowers me in the rest of the way safely